


Hopes and Hops

by SilverAmoebasquid



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Just bury Kenjirou under a pile of rabbits so he knows he is loved, Rabbits, SO MANY BUN, Yeah this is just a random, i promise we're mature and respectable humans plz, it was mostly just for the sake of self projection and stuff but it was good, kenjirou is a good muse, lity and i decided that a group of buns should be called a loaf, rabbits everywhere, real talk this is so soft I cried for 500 years, we got jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2019-02-02 07:53:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12722607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverAmoebasquid/pseuds/SilverAmoebasquid
Summary: Like many junior high students, Kenjirou faces the struggle of trying to fit in with his peers. Sometimes it's helpful to have a friend around to help out with that.





	Hopes and Hops

 

Arms crossed, eyes narrowed, Kenjirou stood with his feet planted on the shiny tile floor. Before him lay the entrance to the pet shop located next door to the home goods place in the southeast corner of the mall. Kenjirou used to go there with his father from time to time to look at the fish on the weekends when he was a child so the store wasn’t unfamiliar or unpleasant to him. What was unpleasant was the reason he was being forced inside today.

“Kenjirou, you can stop throwing a fit now,” his mother sighed. “You're thirteen; you’re too old for this.”

Kenjirou didn’t move. He didn’t need to stand for his parents bullying him into things he didn’t want and he didn’t need them trying to treat him like a baby.

“I’m not going in,” Kenjirou stated, leaning against a marble support pillar behind him, staring down his parents.

“If you don’t want to be a part of this family’s decision-making, you don’t get to be upset if you don't like what we decide.”

“I don't care. Get whatever the hell you want.”

“Language, Kenjirou.” His mother walked toward the door of the large store. “You said you didn't want a puppy. You're welcome to stay out here, but you're gonna have to be happy with what we want then.”

Kenjirou pursed his lips. Dogs were too loud and they required too much work. They were getting a pet mostly for his sake though, so surely his parents wouldn't end up with a dog if he didn't go with them, right?

Then again, they thought a dog would prove to be good for him. Yeah, they would totally get a puppy if left to their own devices.

Heaving an exaggerated sigh, Kenjirou trotted after his parents into the pet store, shrugging off the hand his father tried to place on his shoulder.

It was loud inside and it smelled weird. Kenjirou could see dogs laying in kennels and running around in an enclosure near the back of the store. He took a step in the opposite direction to the cold-blooded section. Maybe he could distract his father at the very least into killing some time looking at fish.

Both adults didn't look as keen on their son's trajectory, but they followed after him regardless, not wanting him loose and unmonitored in the store.

Kenjirou pointed out a fish at random, trying for his dad's attention. “Look.”

“That's a nice fish, Kenjirou.” his father replied patiently. “Don't think you're going to get away with just that though.”

“Why not?” Kenjirou knew his voice was borderline whiny but he wasn't looking forward to the extra chores that came with having an animal in the house. Fish were easy to take care of and apparently what he needed was a “friend” and he could talk to a fish just as easily as he could talk to a dog. What was all the fuss about pets anyway? Maybe he was okay with being a lone wolf.

“Don't you want something you can play with?” His mother asked.

“No,” Kenjirou muttered, moving away from the fish display.

He found himself amongst tanks of all sizes containing reptiles of all breeds.

“Sweetheart, I'm not sure this is what you really want,” his mother warned, sounding hesitant.

Good. If she was going to force him to get a pet, it was going to be something she would hate. Maybe if he pulled a “python or nothing” card, his parents would give in and let him get nothing. He was in middle school now. He could stand up for himself.

Kenjirou pressed himself against one of the tanks conveniently at eye level. Within it, a large lizard was sunning itself on a rock. Kenjirou cocked his head. It was kinda cute. Not a cuddly pet but he just needed something that would both satisfy his parents and disgust them.

A cricket scuttled past the window and the lizard snapped it up. Kenjirou flinched back quickly and watched in horror as the bug was messily chewed up. He looked at the sign next to the enclosure, reading the information about the lizard. It ate bugs. He would have to feed it bugs. There would have to be bugs living in his house.

He moved away from the lizard tank and looked into one with a small, black snake. This one ate mice — something Kenjirou was not keen on feeding it either — but that was better than bugs. Besides, it only needed to eat every couple days.

“You like him?” came a voice from above Kenjirou.

He looked up into the smiling face of a female store employee.

“Do you want to hold him? He's a sweetheart, I promise.”

Kenjirou wasn't sure but he held his hands out anyway.

Still smiling, the worker dipped her hand into the tank and placed the tiny snake into Kenjirou's grasp.

The little creature wiggled around and slithered across his palm.

“No thank you,” Kenjirou said hurriedly, shoving his hands at the lady.

She laughed and took the snake back, letting it slide over her fingers for a moment before she let it back into its cage.

Kenjirou had backed away until he was with his parents again.

“Not a reptile, huh?” Kenjirou's father sounded amused.

Kenjirou tried to pull away from a backward hug but was largely unsuccessful.

“Let's go look at something more friendly,” his mother suggested.

Kenjirou glared and shoved his hands into his pockets, grudgingly following his parents toward some dogs and cats. He stuck by the cats, still opposed to getting a dog, even though his mother seemed delighted to be petting them as they jumped against the fence.

“I don't want a dog.” Kenjirou sulked in front of a small kennel with an orange cat inside it. “They're loud and you have to clean up after them and they're clingy. I don't want to have to take care of a dog.”

The cat didn't look interested.

Kenjirou put his hand against the mesh, making the cat hiss. Kenjirou narrowed his eyes and smacked the cage.

A hand gripped his arm and pulled him away from the kennel. “Kenjirou, why would you do that!”

Kenjirou looked up at his father. “I don't want a damn pet!”

“Why not?” His mother's tone was pleading. “Every kid wants a pet. Kenjirou, it would be good for you. Why don't you want a pet?”

“Because.” Kenjirou looked at the floor. “I don't  _ need _ one. You're trying to fix me but there's nothing wrong with me!”

“We're not trying to fix you,” Kenjirou's mother said. “The school counselor says a pet would be good for you. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you.”

“Fuck the school counselor!” Kenjirou growled, stalking off in a direction chosen at random. He looked up after a few moments when he was sure no one had followed him. He met eyes with a small enclosure with a couple floppy-eared rabbits sitting on a floor of soft sawdust.

“Fuck the school counselor,” Kenjirou muttered again to the rabbits.

A small white one with dark gray speckles hopped toward him.

“There's nothing wrong with me,” Kenjirou put his hand against the mesh.

The gray and white rabbit twitched its nose and one of its floppy ears flicked upward, prompting him to keep talking.

“I got kicked out of the chess club at school last week,” Kenjirou admitted quietly. “That's why I'm here. They say I didn't do anything wrong, but I saw the brochure the counselor gave mom. It said that animals can be helpful for troubled children. I’m not troubled. There’s nothing wrong with me. I want to go back to my old school. People liked me there. I mean... it took a while but I made friends there. I don’t get why I had to leave most of them for this shitty school.”

Kenjirou looked at the little rabbit, still twitching its nose and looking up at him with small, black eyes.

He sighed. “You can’t even hear me. I’m just gonna... leave. Mom and dad will find me. Maybe they’ll get a dog or something and that’ll keep them happy.” Kenjirou took a step away from the wall of enclosures but turned back when the little dark gray and white rabbit took another small hop toward him.

There were three other rabbits in the large tank, all variations of cream and brown colors. They were piled on top of each other in the corner, fast asleep. Only this one seemed to be separated from the rest of them.

Kenjirou picked up a detailed pamphlet next to the glass and avidly soaked in the information then looked back at the gray rabbit. “Hi.”

One of the rabbit’s ears twitched up for a second before flopping back down on the side of its head.

Kenjirou held back a slight smile. “You’re different too?” he asked, looking back at the other rabbits all cozied together in the corner, appearing perfectly content without their gray companion. “At least when you’re a rabbit and you’re different, the other rabbits don’t look at you weird. Last week at chess club I got mad because my opponent was talking big even though I was winning. He kept saying he was going to beat me and I told him he wasn’t but he had such a big head that he wouldn’t listen so I flipped the board in his face and said some things that made mom really angry. I don’t think she’s angry anymore but she looks at me sometimes like the other kids in the club did. No one did anything for a couple seconds, they just stared at me like they were a little bit sorry for me. I don’t want to be pitied. Then mom and dad and I had to talk to the counselor for a while and she said I was ‘troubled’ which is bullshit. I’m not troubled. I’m not. I’m not angry all the time and I’ve never wanted to hurt anyone. People just annoy me sometimes. Mom tells me it’s because I’m smart and mature, but then why do they treat me like I’m less than them? If I’m so mature why are they trying to make me get a fucking emotional support animal? Maybe they’re right and a dog or whatever would somehow make me better at people.”

Kenjirou rolled his eyes and waved into the cage. “I should go. Bye, rabbit.”

“Who did you find, Kenjirou?”

Turning around quickly, Kenjirou found his parents a few steps behind him. He pointed at the cage, recalling the information from the brochure. “They’re Holland Lop rabbits. They’re a species of dwarf rabbit from Europe and they’re the smallest of lop-eared rabbits though I’m not sure what that means exactly. They live 7-14 years and they weigh between 1-2 kilograms. They eat hay and some fruits and vegetables. They can be pretty much any color and they can have solid coloration or broken coloration, which just means they have more than one color.” Facing the enclosure again, Kenjirou pointed at the three sleeping in the corner. “See, those ones are solid because they’re all brown but this one has broken colors because it’s white and gray. Holland Lops have floppy ears except for this one also who keeps flipping one ear up at me but it’s still a good rabbit even if it’s a different color from the others and has a twitchy ear.”

As if on cue, the rabbit’s dark gray ear flicked up and Kenjirou bit his lip to contain a smile.

“Is that what you want, Kenjirou?” his mother asked gently. “Not because you need a pet because there’s anything wrong with you. We just want you to have a friend to help you get used to the new school.”

Kenjirou looked down. “You weren’t supposed to listen to that. I was talking to the rabbit. It’s rude to eavesdrop.”

“Well, would you like to talk to the rabbit about stuff that’s going on at school every day?” Kenjirou’s father motioned to one of the pet store attendants nearby.

“Oh, are you looking at these rabbits?” a friendly man answered the call.

Kenjirou shrugged, but the employee was already standing next to the cage and pulling the gray and white one out to gently place in Kenjirou’s hands.

“She’s a cute one, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, she is,” Kenjirou breathed, staying perfectly still, almost afraid to be holding the tiny, fragile creature. She wiggled in his cupped palms and flicked her ear up again.

“Are you gonna take her home?”

“I don’t want to take her away from her...” Kenjirou looked back at the cage, “friends...”

The rabbit looked up at him and Kenjirou understood. She was about as close with her cage-mates as Kenjirou was with his classmates.

“I think she’d make friends with you pretty quickly and she’d be happy with that.”

“I’m not getting her because I need a pet,” Kenjirou stated.

“Nope.”

“Just because I want one.”

“Exactly.”

“What if I’m not good at taking care of her? I’m not always nice and that’s why people don’t always like me.”

“Well, this isn’t a person. I think she already likes you. You don’t need to be the perfect owner. She’s just looking for a good home with someone to care about her and do their best. That’s the kind of rabbit she is.”

“I  _ am _ trying my best.”

“Well, then I think you’ll be perfect.”

“Okay.” Kenjirou looked down at his new friend and ran one finger over her soft head. “I’ll do my best to make a good home for her. I hope we can help each other.”


End file.
